"Helping The Trucking Industry Drive America's Economy Forward"
America's economy moves by truck. Heavy trucks haul approximately 70 percent of all freight in the United States. Some 80 percent of communities throughout the country rely solely on trucks for delivery of goods and commodities from farm, forest, and factory. More than 8.7 million Americans work in the trucking industry.
Heavy trucks consume roughly 48 percent of our fuel and produce large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. At this critical time in our nation's history, a focused effort to modernize our trucking industry would strengthen our economy, provide secure employment, reduce our dangerous reliance on Middle East oil, and help protect our environment.
It is for those reasons that I have introduced the "Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act," along with two colleagues from California and Wisconsin, Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Herb Kohl. Our bipartisan bill would accelerate research of plug-in hybrid technologies for heavy duty trucks.
Hybrid technology has advanced in passenger vehicles, and it is time that we apply this important technology to that sector of the transportation industry that is so vital to our economy. .
The federal government, through the 21st Century Truck Partnership, has for some years provided funding to conduct research and development for the modernization of the trucking industry, in association with a collection of private industry partners. Despite the significant potential benefits of hybrid trucks, however, research in this area was eliminated to emphasize a focus on passenger vehicles. This decision was shortsighted.
In 2008 and again this spring, truck operators in Maine and around the country were hard hit by increases in the price of diesel fuel. The average price of diesel in our state remains just under $4 a gallon. This is a huge burden for so many truckers and small businesses. To help address this concern, as well as a significant safety problem in our state, I continue to work to permanently allow the heaviest trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to use Maine's federal interstate highways instead of using our secondary roads and downtown streets.
In 2009, I successfully included a provision in a funding bill that created a one-year pilot project that allowed these trucks to travel on Maine's federal interstates, such as I-95, 195, 295, and 395. This pilot program, which unfortunately expired last December, improved safety, reduced emissions, and helped businesses and truckers save money on fuel costs. For example, on a trip from Hampden to Houlton, a truck traveling on Interstate 95 saves 50 minutes over Route 2 and avoids more than 270 intersections and nine school crossings. At current diesel prices, the driver also saves approximately $40 on fuel by traveling on the Interstate.
But, we can also do more to help our trucking industry. Given that our nation relies upon trucks to keep our economy running by providing timely delivery of food, industrial products, and raw materials, we simply must develop alternatives that make the industry less susceptible to dramatic changes in oil prices. Hybrid power technologies offer the promise of reducing this critical industry's dependence on oil.
Putting this technology to work in the trucking industry will require research. Current hybrid technology works well for cars that can be made with lightweight materials and travel short distances. Trucks need to be constructed with heavy materials commensurate with the heavy loads they carry and, if they are going to be plug-in hybrids, travel relatively long distances between charges. Significant advances in battery and other technologies are needed to make plug-in trucks commercially viable and may require more advanced technology than is required for passenger cars.
Our bill sets the stage for accelerating advances by establishing a competitive research, development, demonstration, and commercial application program for advanced heavy duty hybrid trucks. The research will help fill the gaps in the understanding of this technology identified in a National Academy of Science report. Following this research, a pilot program would test the effects on the domestic electric power grid of the widespread use of plug-in hybrid vehicles, including plug-in hybrids that are advanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles.
We need a comprehensive effort to modernize commercial transportation in the 21st century. The Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act is a vital part of that effort. This legislation takes a positive, productive approach to the longstanding problems of imported oil and air emissions, and it will position our trucking industry and our nation for a brighter economic future.
Heavy trucks consume roughly 48 percent of our fuel and produce large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. At this critical time in our nation's history, a focused effort to modernize our trucking industry would strengthen our economy, provide secure employment, reduce our dangerous reliance on Middle East oil, and help protect our environment.
It is for those reasons that I have introduced the "Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act," along with two colleagues from California and Wisconsin, Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Herb Kohl. Our bipartisan bill would accelerate research of plug-in hybrid technologies for heavy duty trucks.
Hybrid technology has advanced in passenger vehicles, and it is time that we apply this important technology to that sector of the transportation industry that is so vital to our economy. .
The federal government, through the 21st Century Truck Partnership, has for some years provided funding to conduct research and development for the modernization of the trucking industry, in association with a collection of private industry partners. Despite the significant potential benefits of hybrid trucks, however, research in this area was eliminated to emphasize a focus on passenger vehicles. This decision was shortsighted.
In 2008 and again this spring, truck operators in Maine and around the country were hard hit by increases in the price of diesel fuel. The average price of diesel in our state remains just under $4 a gallon. This is a huge burden for so many truckers and small businesses. To help address this concern, as well as a significant safety problem in our state, I continue to work to permanently allow the heaviest trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to use Maine's federal interstate highways instead of using our secondary roads and downtown streets.
In 2009, I successfully included a provision in a funding bill that created a one-year pilot project that allowed these trucks to travel on Maine's federal interstates, such as I-95, 195, 295, and 395. This pilot program, which unfortunately expired last December, improved safety, reduced emissions, and helped businesses and truckers save money on fuel costs. For example, on a trip from Hampden to Houlton, a truck traveling on Interstate 95 saves 50 minutes over Route 2 and avoids more than 270 intersections and nine school crossings. At current diesel prices, the driver also saves approximately $40 on fuel by traveling on the Interstate.
But, we can also do more to help our trucking industry. Given that our nation relies upon trucks to keep our economy running by providing timely delivery of food, industrial products, and raw materials, we simply must develop alternatives that make the industry less susceptible to dramatic changes in oil prices. Hybrid power technologies offer the promise of reducing this critical industry's dependence on oil.
Putting this technology to work in the trucking industry will require research. Current hybrid technology works well for cars that can be made with lightweight materials and travel short distances. Trucks need to be constructed with heavy materials commensurate with the heavy loads they carry and, if they are going to be plug-in hybrids, travel relatively long distances between charges. Significant advances in battery and other technologies are needed to make plug-in trucks commercially viable and may require more advanced technology than is required for passenger cars.
Our bill sets the stage for accelerating advances by establishing a competitive research, development, demonstration, and commercial application program for advanced heavy duty hybrid trucks. The research will help fill the gaps in the understanding of this technology identified in a National Academy of Science report. Following this research, a pilot program would test the effects on the domestic electric power grid of the widespread use of plug-in hybrid vehicles, including plug-in hybrids that are advanced heavy duty hybrid vehicles.
We need a comprehensive effort to modernize commercial transportation in the 21st century. The Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act is a vital part of that effort. This legislation takes a positive, productive approach to the longstanding problems of imported oil and air emissions, and it will position our trucking industry and our nation for a brighter economic future.
